The Modern Mann

Pantomime: the most peculiarly British of festive entertainments. Each year, we Brits gather the family together to watch the same old stories. To cheer at the hero, hiss at the baddies, and watch a bloke in drag doing the same call-and-response routines that have enraptured crowds since the days of music hall. Why? ERIC POTTS is a maestro of the genre. As head writer for First Family Entertainment, he churns out ten panto scripts per year, and even finds time to play the Dame in one of them. In this insightful interview with Olly, he explains how super-producers have duopolized the industry, how they persuade Hollywood stars to come over and tread the boards (it’s not just the money), and why the key to panto success is not tradition or nostalgia - but ADVENTURE. (Oh Yes It Is!) Also this week: Ollie Peart uses his Instagram account as an experiment in automation, and, after an extended Super Mario Run session, offers up one-handed gaming to The Zeitgeist. Plus, why the pen-and-paper notebook just *might* be